GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Officials at Georgia-Pacific’s Broadway mill says the public could hear loud noises and see plumes of steam Monday as they being using their new steam boiler.
Officials say they will perform what’s called a “steam blow”. That involves releasing high-pressure steam through a temporary vent. It’s a standard step in commissioning a new boiler and is done to clean loose materials out of the piping.
Several hour-long blows are planned. The blows will be the loudest during a 10 to 15 minutes stretch of a high target pressure each time. These should occur throughout the day as there is no set schedule.
Mill officials say if the steam blow needs to be postponed, it will happen Tuesday.
The new 193-ton boiler arrived on a cargo ship last December. Georgia-Pacific says the new boiler will replace its largest coal-fired boiler, helping reduce emissions and meet future regulations.
The company expects the new boiler to cut emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides by about 80 percent and reduce its use of solid fuel by more than 50 percent.
(Additional reporting from FOX 11).